Chapeau de Gateau

Maddy K LOVES Chapeau de Gateau! These innovative, unique toppers to make wedding and special occasion cakes truly extraordinary. Each Chapeau de Gateau topper is handmade from the finest quality Mokuba ribbon, and personalized on the bottom with the names of the bride and groom along with their wedding date. It is a memorable keepsake enjoyed long after the cake has disappeared. To complement a chosen theme, inspired ribbon center-pieces, and tabletop accessories can also be created.

To find out more about these wonderful cake toppers, visit Chapeau de Gateau's website.

A lot of our couples are internet savvy and can certainly book their on vacation online. So we're often asked "Why do I need a Travel Agent for my honeymoon planning?"

We sat down with our Maddy K Honeymoon & Destination wedding planner, Alexandra Allard. Alexandra explained why having a travel agent for your honeymoon is so important.

Honeymoon specialists are experts in their field, maintaining strong relationships with those who cater to your travel needs, like airlines and hotels. They attend seminars and travel events and network with other agents and agencies to get the latest information that is not available to non-agents. The Internet may have a wealth of information, but it doesn't have the emotion and the experience of being there. Honeymoon specialist actually visits many of the places they represent. There's a good chance they have intimate knowledge of the destinations you want to visit. You may get a much better deal because some travel providers will only deal with specialists. Also, if you contact one provider, for example an airline, they are not likely to tell you that you can get a better fare elsewhere. A honeymoon specialist will do his or her best to get you a good deal. A good honeymoon specialist will fight for your best interest and may assist if you have a problem while traveling. When a dispute occurs, a specialist has a great deal more leverage than an individual would, since travel providers want to maintain ongoing relationships with specialists.

In most cases, honeymoon specialists provide one-stop service for all arrangements for transportation, lodging, event tickets, and special dining reservations. This saves you the time and headache of trying to coordinate with several providers yourself. You can spend hours on the Internet putting together your own trip. And once you are done, good luck finding help if you should encounter a problem. On the other hand, a honeymoon specialist is someone you have an ongoing relationship with, like a personal concierge. Travel scams abound on the Internet. You may think you are connected to a large, well-known company that provides travel arrangements, when you have actually found your way to smaller, unknown companies. Perfect honeymoons don't just happen; they have to be carefully planned.

Did you know that all Maddy K Couples get FREE HONEYMOON PLANNING!

Even if you aren't planning to book Maddy K as your wedding designer, you can still trust the Maddy K Honeymoon planing specialist.

Email Alexandra at Alexandra {at} maddyk.com for more info!

To my Valentine...

It's Valentines!!! I used to love Valentines back in the days... the idea of LOVE was just so beautiful and in my head I used to think of 'Valentines' as a sneak peak of what love stands for and should be ! Well I was very very wrong!!! Although I do appreciate Valentines, my feelings of Valentines have changed through out the years and that is why I decided to dedicate this post to my true valentine - My Husband!!! We've been married for almost 7 years now and he has thought me the true meaning of Valentine... the true meaning of LOVE!

Being in love goes much deeper than just the level of 'Valentines' and although 'February 14th' allows us to stop and celebrate our love... for me, I will take that date as the date to not just say 'I Love You' but also to stop and appreciate the love you have in your life! I am so grateful for having such an amazing man to spend my life with, a man that is so supportive, so dedicated, so understanding, so loving and it is ultimately his love that makes me the woman I am! Thank you Babe for everything you do and thank you for being you!!! I love you!!!

Win a Maddy K - Bridal Boudoir - Gift Bag

So you've probably heard all about the gift bag that brides received at the Bridal Boudoir Affair. With gifts from Christofle, WedLuxe, Weddingbells, Kiss My Face, Benefit cosmetics, Finesse, Schick Razor, DavidsTea, Sylva K Makeup, and many many more... It will be one of the best Gift Bags you'll get all year! Well guess what... we have one for you!

All you have to do is comment on the Facebook fanpage post and tell us all the services that Maddy K offers. We'll give you a hint, there are 5 services.

Please note that the winning person must be from the Montreal and Surrounding area. (or plans on being in Montreal after march 1, 2010). Contest ends on March 1st 2010, 1 name with the correct answers will be drawn at random.

GOOD LUCK!

As metioned, we've been inspired by all we saw in New York and have the perfect ideas for your destination wedding in New York.

So we've found the perfect place - the Crosby Hotel in NY. Now it's time for the little details for your guests traveling to your destination.

If you're planning a destination wedding, set the theme - our suggestion, passport invitations (cute, right!??). This way, as soon as your guests get the invitations, they know that buying new luggage should be on the agenda! :)



Now once your guests arrive, it's always nice to thank them with a little gift. They did just travel to be with you! So our suggestion is "The Little Black Book of NY." It's the perfect way to introduce your guests to the city and encourage them to enjoy themselves!

What are your perfect little tips? We'd love to hear them!

Maddy K is looking for an intern! This is your chance to get a first look at the hustle and bustle of wedding planning.

Qualified candidates will have some event planning experience or have volunteered at similar events.

It's not all about "partying" and "free food" wedding planning consists of hard work, long hours and making sure the couple say "I Do!" without any stress. Your time with the Maddy K Team will help you gain experience in an ever growing and ever changing industry.

please send all inquiries to info@maddyk.com
PLEASE NO PHONE CALLS!

Thank you & Good Luck!

We were recently invited for a private tour and lunch at the fabulous Crosby hotel in New York city. The CROSBY STREET HOTEL is situated on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of New York's vibrant SoHo neighborhood between Prince and Spring Streets. Everything is on the doorstep including some of the worlds most exciting shopping, bars, restaurants, cafes and galleries. Vanity Fair even quoted this amazing location as: “The most prestigious thoroughfare in the neighborhood - all cast iron and cobblestones, slightly off the beaten track, lined with independent boutiques”

So you can imagine our excitement when Lisa Barr (@bridaleasee on twitter) invited Maddy K, Valerie our PR girl, and Sylva K of Sylva K Makeup to an amazing lunch with some of NY’s finest wedding planners, bloggers and photographers at the Crosby Street Bar.

They have a variety of rooms on the lower level of the hotel for private events and parties. From intimate affairs to full out events the crosby caters to all! While walking through, we easily envisioned ceremonies and reception areas in so many creative ways! The walls and decor are so perfect that you don’t have to add much in order to make your event special (cost saving? I think so!!) Can you just imagine, candles from wall to wall making the beautiful space extremely elegant and romantic. I can!

No one guest room is decorated alike, and no, it’s like like the Opus with “themed rooms” the rooms are actually decorated completely different. The crosby suites -- the penthouse like suites -- are the ultimate in luxury and class. They are far bigger than most New York apartments and well, the wall to wall windows certainly make any guest feel like royalty! And with the Ripa’s (as in Kelly Ripa) as a neighbor, why wouldn’t you indulge?

For the more modest budget, you can indulge in the Junior suites or Meadow Suites. All so inspiring and beautiful - these truly are rooms you'll never want to leave!

This week - we are inspired by all we saw in New York and have the perfect ideas for your destination wedding in New York. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog -- invitation ideas & souvenirs for your guests! ;)

The amazing guests included:

Lisa Bar

Tammy Golson

Lisa Green

Merci New York

Christopher Duggan

Gina Fleur

Can't wait to see you all next time!

Make the "I DO!" moment Perfect!

Asking her to marry you is one of the most important moments of your lives. The story will be told to family, children and eventually grand-children. So it's imperative that you get this right!

Maddy K has teamed up with a group of professionals that can make that moment PERFECT.

Imagine, having the moment captured on photo? Having a string quartet show up after she says “YES!” Pick her up in a fancy limo. It’s all about the moment and experience and make it a lasting one. Just like we did for the couple in the photo above and Michael from Phototera was there to capture the moment!

Contact us at info@maddyk.com for more info or call (514) 694-4575

We were really surprised to learn that at Preston Bailey's Party in NYC the lights, multimedia and runway were designed by local Moment Factory.

We were really impressed by the runway - which actually looked like it was moving! Amazing! The concept behind the runway was "over-sized old fashioned printing press that mimicked how the book was printed."

Preston Bailey recently sat down with Moment Factory’s Creative Director, Sakchin Besette. I invite you to read the entire interview here.

If you're a bride looking for an amazing out of this world experience for your reception - I think we have the company (locally) to do it! Was the Maddy K Team inspired by this runway for the Bridal Boudoir Fashion show? I think so!!!!!

;)

Our team at Maddy K along with Sylva of Sylva K Makeup were invited to the Preston Bailey Celebrations Book party that took place on January 28, 2010 in NYC - here are some of the highlights of our evening - enjoy!

Preston Baileys Celebration Book Launch Party!

For the few of you that might not know who Preston Bailey is... he is one of the premiere event designers of our time... author of Design for Entertaining, Fantasy Weddings, Inspirations and Celebrations!!! On twitter he describes himself as "event designer, International Traveler and Artist" ... I would add "inspiration" to that list! Preston is so highly looked upon by industry insiders and inspires professionals in the event industry to push the boundaries of their creativity!!

Marcy Blum, is another very highly celebrated event designer who has done numerous celebrity events and happened to be a guest speaker at our first annual Bridal Boudoir,which took place in December of 2009! We had the pleasure of getting to know Marcy better and learnt that Marcy and Preston are very good fiends and their friendship goes way back! Hence it was a no brainer for Preston to ask Marcy to plan the launch party of his new book "Celebrations"

So you can imagine our excitement when we received an invitation from Marcy to Prestons Celebrations Book Launch party taking place tomorrow in NYC!!! So a few of us at Maddy K will be on our way very shortly to NYC to attend the Celebration Party of the year :)

I will be tweeting live from the party so you could follow me to get regular updates www.twitter.com/maddykatelier

oh did I say that the dress code is "HOT" !!! :) LOVE IT!!!

"Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of, There's nothing you can't do, Now you're in New York.
These Streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, Hear it for New York, New York, New York!" - Alicia Keys

We heart New York!

Below are some photos of the space where the party will be hosted... I am sure the transformation will be out of this world!

Recently, I was speaking to a Bride about her experience at the Bridal Boudoir, and she was going on and on about 1 gift in the gift-bag that stood out. She was talking about her Christofle keep-sake. She told me that her jewelry box was so special and beautiful and was inspired to purchase something similar for her bridal party and her future mother-in-law.
We were also very impressed by Christofle’s gifts for our brides at the Bridal Boudoir Affair. So we want to thank Christofle for their elegant and beautiful gift.

We’d like to especially thank Neeti Sharma of Christofle chez OLGIVY’s on Sainte Catherine. Should you or anyone you know be looking for that little something special (Valentine’s is coming up!) ask for Neeti or one of her dedicated and knowledgeable associates at the Christofle pavillion at OLGIVY’s.

For more inspiration and a sneak peak of their collection, visit the Christofle's website or call them at 514-987-1242. Their location is 1307 Rue Sainte Catherine West.


Thank you Christofle for your beauty and elegance! Christofle has been creating products of luxury for 170 years.

Our first Eco Wedding; featured in Chic Magazine!!

I was so excited to see that one of our weddings was featured in the recent issue of Chic Wedding Magazine!!!

Reachel and Ryan were married this past July at the beautiful Hyatt Montreal Hotel. They were a couple from Toronto, that decided to get married in Montreal, because they just loved everything about Montreal!!! Photos of the wedding were captured by our friends at Phototerra (AGAIN!!!).

Below is what Rachel had to say about her wedding... don't forget to pick up your copy of Chic magazine... it's on newsstands now and to see more photos of the wedding you could visit our facebook fanpage!


The summer of 1995 was bliss – it was the summer that me and my husband first started dating. Ryan was 19 years old and I had turned sweet 16. We met in high school in our hometown of Fort Frances, in Northwestern Ontario. We weren’t sure whether or not our relationship would last beyond the summer as Ryan was heading off to university and we’d be a 20 hour drive apart.


Fast forward to fourteen years later and he we are still together, happy to call the city of Toronto our home. Although we were almost the last of our friends to get married, the timing to felt perfect for us. Ryan and I decided to do a destination wedding in Montreal, Quebec. It has the European flare that we desired, yet still close enough to Toronto that we could take part in the planning process. With the help of our wedding planner, Madeleine Kojakian - That's ME!! :) we were able to create the wedding of our dreams – non-traditional, modern and with an overall eco-organic feel. I know this sounds very cliché, but it honestly was the best day of our lives. The weather turned out gorgeous and we were surrounded by all our friends and family who made the trip using planes, trains and automobiles to get there! Michael Greenberg of Phototerra Studio was our incredibly talented wedding photographer who did the most amazing job at capturing the beauty of every single moment of our day. We are thankful to everyone involved in our special day for all your help and dedication – it could not have turned out more perfect without you!


I can't stop watching our slide show!!! I love it, love it, love it!!! Ryan absolutely loved it too - we are so happy about the way the pictures turned out - Michael is such a fantastic artist. And I LOVE the music you picked out - very cool. It's stuck in my head now:) It's very exciting to show our family - we are getting phenomenal feedback!

 


In Sickness and In Health!

So in the coming weeks we will try to post up some 2009 Real Weddings that we did!! As we take a few moments and look back at all the photos and all the couples that were in our life in the past year, we feel a mixed emotions!! Its hard to move onto a new season of planning when you build such great bonds and relationships with your past brides... we do miss them all and we hope to build the same bond with our 2010 brides!!!

In the meantime, this is a Real Wedding that is very close to our heart!! Our friends from Phototerra were there to capture the beauty of their love ... here is a small video capturing the highlights of the day!

We started working with Nathalie in 2007 to plan her 2008 wedding, however after she was diagnosed with cancer the wedding date had to be pushed up to 2009... Her strength and her grace is something we will never forget ...

This is her story...


It’s ironic how things turn out in life, especially when you’re the only one who shows up. Nathalie had no idea she’d met the person she would later consider her husband when she showed up for a company function where no one, except Dale, showed up. Nathalie and Dale became close, and started dating shortly after. One Christmas, the couple drove to Montreal from Toronto to be with Nathalie’s family for the holidays. They were caught in a horrific snowstorm and turned a 5 hour drive into a 10 hour one. The couple had such great conversations and enjoyed each others company in what seemed to be horrible circumstances, that it was then Nathalie knew he was the one.

They had become engaged and planned to have their wedding October 4th, 2008. That was until Nathalie found out she was diagnosed with aggressive type of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The couple postpone the wedding, and she began chemotherapy shortly after. She finished chemo and radiation in December 2008, and was declared in remission shortly after. Dale was there for her every step of the way and supported her through this very difficult and emotional time. They rescheduled the wedding to July 2009 and continued planning their wedding.

They are a very down to earth couple, so they wanted a wedding that wasn’t too over-the-top and they kept their theme very clean and fresh felling. Having originally planed for a fall wedding, they kept some of the elements that they had already planned, but toned it down for summer or added more summery elements to the decor. There was one major difference this time around, their wedding favors were not gifts, but the couple made a donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation where Nathalie had her treatment. Based in Toronto, the hospital is a world leader in cancer research and patient care. “I received such good care at the Princess Margaret Hospital that we decided to give something back to the Hospital and help in the fight to end cancer.” says Nathalie.

With the help of Maddy K Weddings, they worked on altering the reception theme and concept from a fall wedding to a summer wedding. The couple took comfort in having someone in Montreal to coordinate their special day seeing as they live in Toronto. Maddy K made sure that everything was exactly how the couple wanted their day to be seeing as it was a tremendously special day. Everything was perfect to the very last detail, including flowers, decor, and stationary.

Nathalie and Dale were married on July 11th 2009, and when they said their vows “In sickness and in health” they knew that wouldn’t be a problem.

We wish them the best in their lives together and nothing but love, health & happiness!

For more photos from their wedding go to our Facebook Fan page!

Kiss My Face!!!

This afternoon we met with one of the brides that attended the Bridal Boudoir Affair. The couple came to see us for conceptualizing the look and feel of their wedding - a beautiful vineyard wedding!!! During our meeting, I asked her what she enjoyed most about the boudoir, she said she loved our 'goodie bags' ... specially the Kiss My Face Organic Lipstick!!!

Turns out that she is allergic to lipstick and she's been looking for lipstick for years... and after spending so much money and trying all lipstick brands, she had come to terms with the fact that she may never be able to wear lipstick... even on her special day!! So when she was going through the boudoir goodie bags and came across the 'kiss my face' lipsticks, she was a bit hesitant to try them, but finally she did and to her surprise, her lips did not react!! She tried again the following day and once again, nothing happened... and finally after numerous times of trying, it was clear to her that 'Kiss My Face' lipsticks were the answer to her prayers!!!

'Kiss My Face' sheer organic shimmers & shines contain natural mineral color, vitamins A&E to repair and protect lips and come in a variety of luscious organic flavors . They All are earth friendly products containing no parabens, SLS, phthalates, synthetic colors or flavors, and use of animal ingredients or testing. They are good for the lips because they contain organic Shea Butter, Tocopherol and Organice Sunflower Oil, which improves skin's moisture retention and is rich in Vitamin A&E.

Kiss My Face offers a variety of skin and body products. You could learn more about the company, founders and their products by visiting www.kissmyface.com

I am so happy that we were able to help our bride find 'lipstick' that she will end up using for her wedding day as well as many years to come!!

Thank You Kiss My Face for caring about us!!!

Announcing two great Trunk Shows...

Ottawa Brides:

Mia Bridal will be hosting a Lea-Ann Belter Trunk Show on Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17, 2010 (10am-4pm both days). Appointments will be necessary and space is limited.

Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to view the entire 2010 collection; and, some of Lea-Ann's more popular gowns from past seasons that are not available in the salon.

In addition, Mia Bridal is offering a 10% discount on Lea-Ann Belter gowns ordered during this event.

You can see the full Lea-Ann Belter collection here...
Call Mia Bridal at 613-723-7233

Montreal Brides!

Jenna les Collections will be hosting a Trunk Show:

January 15-17, 2010. As the exclusive supplier of this collection, Jenna les Collections will feature the latest collection from Blue by Enzoani Bridal Gowns. It’s by appointment only.

1307 rue Ste. Catherine West (Ogilvy 3rd floor) Call: 514-842-7711 ext 364

To propose or not to propose...

Tonight we had plans to go out with my brother and his fiance for dinner and movies! Initially the plan was to watch the movie "nine" however after announcing the plans to the guys, then both refused and asked us nicely to pick another movie... so we picked "Leap Year" ( I know that was mean!)

Amy Adams and Matthew Goode star in Leap Year, a romantic comedy that follows one woman’s determined quest to get married to the perfect guy…despite what fate has in store for her. When their four-year anniversary passes without a marriage proposal, Anna (Amy Adams) decides to take matters into her own hands. Investing in an Irish tradition that allows women to propose to men on February 29th, Anna decides to follow her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to Dublin and get down on one knee herself. But airplanes, weather and fate leave Anna stranded on the other side of Ireland, and she must enlist the help of handsome and surly Declan (Matthew Goode) to get her across the country. As Anna and Declan bicker across the Emerald Isle, they discover that the road to love can take you to very unexpected places.

I must admit... the movie at times was quite cheesy, but the "hopelessly romantic" in me couldn't help but think it was "really cute"!!

The real question though is... if you were in her shoes, would you propose or would you wait??? I

Do you think it's ok for women to propose or should they just accept the fact that if a man doesn't propose, it means they just don't want to propose!!

What would you do? Would love to hear your thoughts... and because I am in the mood to be nice, I am announcing an official contest! Submit your proposal story (it has to be the girl proposing) and the best 'female' proposal will win a "Maddy K Decor Package".

Good luck!!!

To all 2010 and 2011 brides - Welcome to Maddy K and a Happy New Year!

New Years is the most popular day for proposals followed closely by Valentines day... so all of you that were proposed to on New Years day... Congratulations and welcome to the Maddy K blog! For those who don't know me, my name is Madeleine Kojakian (that's me in the photo) and I am the founder and head designer of Maddy K Weddings + Events Atelier! We at Maddy K are dedicated to bring you everything you need to make your special day, truly unique and outstanding!!! We love beautiful things, and can't help but design beautiful weddings ;)

After having a very hectic November and December, we are now back to our planning and back to researching and designing upcoming weddings!! Many things have changed this year, and we're excited to share everything with you!!

Firstly, we have moved into our beautiful atelier where all the planning, designing and consulting will take place!!! We will bring everyone to you, which means that you will not have to move or go anywhere, you just come to our loft, sip on your martini and we will do the rest :) We also realize that last year has been a tough year to some of you... with the economy and the budget cuts, we have created a special package for those brides that still want to have a glitzy wedding, but on a budget... it's our 'Decor Package' and yes even our dear brides from the US would now be able to use this package!!! Contact us for more info!

Finally, we wanted to end the note by saying that we had a blast in 2009... our brides were all fabulous... they were all a pleasure to work with and we will miss them dearly! We wish them all the best for 2010 and hope to be in touch!! In the meantime, we haven't updated our gallery yet, so you could refer to our facebook fanpage to check out the 2009 weddings we did last season!!! Much more to come your way in 2010! Enjoy :)

For all of you that could not make it to our Bridal Boudoir back in December you could see some of the photos here... video will come soon! Yes we will have another boudoir in 2010... it will be bigger, better and Fabulous!!!

Just because you can't make it, doesn't mean you'll miss it! The Bridal Boudoir Affair will be going live on our Bridal Blog bridalboudoiraffair.blogspot.com all day sunday december 6th! You'll see all the action as we do!

don't forget, it's bridalboudoiraffair.blogspot.com

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